


Iron Resolve (Weak Heart)

by lavender coin (idyII)



Series: divergent paths [5]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Developing Relationship, Gen, Happy V7, M/M, Other, Sexual Content, Some Humor, alternative title: ironwood learns to chill, just some dudes bonding over their trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:34:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24325108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idyII/pseuds/lavender%20coin
Summary: General Ironwood never played favorites. He certainly never let anyone off for any rule-breaking behavior without punishment. And he absolutely, never, ever let anyone sit on his desk. Qrow Branwen breezes into Atlas and he does all three, much to the confusion of everyone else, punctuated by his stubborn refusal to stop using Jimmy as a nickname.Qrow is just concerned for one of his oldest friends, even if their relationship has been tumultuous over the years, and inadvertently changes fate for the city. If you asked him, it was because he kept stealing James' pens.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/James Ironwood
Series: divergent paths [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1751065
Comments: 8
Kudos: 132





	1. Trust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it wouldn't be an ironqrow fic without an iron pun in the title would it???

Ruby was even antsier than usual. That was saying something, considering Qrow had taken to carrying a fidget cube on his person at all times for her to fiddle with (because he knew she would forget it at home, or wherever they happened to be staying nowadays) and she hadn't even asked for it. He had been surprised, when, after several moments of awkward hesitation, she'd spilled the beans about the Lamp to James and Winter and Penny. He'd figured she had decided to keep that under wraps for now, what with their...unfortunate previous experiences.

_"Uncle Qrow?"_

_"Yeah, kid?"_

_Maria was practically dozing off as she flew their stolen ship towards Atlas. That was a little concerning, but Qrow didn't want to risk trying to check whether she was awake or not and accidentally making her crash or something. Ruby was leaning into the cockpit, looking uncertain, chewing on her bottom lip. "Do you think...we'll all be safe in Atlas?"_

_Qrow grimaced. He smoothed a hand over his shirt, where his flask was in the inside pocket, something he'd taken to doing instead of taking it out. "I dunno, kiddo. I don't know if anywhere is safe right now."_

_"What about...General Ironwood? Do you...think we can trust him?"_

_Qrow had seemed so certain about that, she thought. From what she understood they didn't get along well, yet he seemed to trust the man._

_"We can trust James," Qrow said, raking a hand through his hair as he stared out the window. "I know that much. I trust him._ _"_

It was probably the indecision. Wondering if she'd made the right choice, wondering if she'd screwed up. Qrow watched them as they entered the hall ahead of them, where he caught a glimpse of the cheesy uniforms worn by the Ace Ops. He barely restrained an eyeroll.

He hoped it was the right choice. He felt like it was. James had looked pensive, wearing a frown, but had thanked her for her honesty.

"Qrow?"

Hearing his name made him pause. Seeing James standing at the top of the staircase, figure more tense and intimidating than ever, it seemed, made him rub the back of his neck. He really hadn't talked to the man since the fall of Beacon. Since, well-

_"I- I need to go."_

_Everything was falling apart, and he knew exactly what that blinding flash of light at the top of the tower in the distance meant, and Qrow's insides felt at war because everything was screaming at him to run as fast as he could to go get his niece. But he just had to say-_

_"Don't," he said, one hand gripping the part of Ironwood's shoulder where the metal met flesh. "Don't fucking die."_

_He only caught the barest hint of the confused, and maybe even a little worried, expression on James' face before he was gone._

"I meant it when I said it was good to see you again," James said, with the barest hint of a smile, and reeled Qrow in for a hug. He felt embarrassed at how badly his whole body seized up, so caught in surprise he was.

He lowered a hand to pat the man on the shoulder and couldn't resist a roll of his eyes. _I knew he was always a big softie under there._

"It's good to see you too, James," he said, vaguely aware of how ragged his voice sounded. James still loomed over him even leaning down to hug him; he'd always been a giant behemoth of a man, and being wrapped up in his arms was sort of...comforting. "Hope I don't get arrested every time I visit from now on."

He was joking, because he doubted it would be anytime soon he could travel freely enough to visit Atlas at all, but James still sounded irked. "I'll be having a talk with the operative teams about confirming beforehand," he said, and it would've been funny, him being offended on their behalf, if times weren't so exhausting. He pulled away, but his fingers lingered on Qrow's clothes, like he didn't want to let go. It was embarrassing, but Qrow himself didn't really want him to. He looked down into Qrow's eyes and frowned again- he was starting to get frown lines, probably, under that beard. "Your letter was vague. What happened at Haven, Qrow?"

Yeah, that conversation. Qrow heaved a sigh and dragged his hand through his hair, averting his gaze. "Must we talk about that?" A rhetorical question, because he knew it would come up eventually.

James' frown got deeper. As much as it irked him, the general could read him quite well; better than most, in fact, which seemed an oxymoron to how often they argued over the years, but if anything it just made arguing easier.

"Long story short, Lionheart was working for Salem and nearly got us killed, he and my sister lured us into a trap at the school where Cinder and her little goonies ambushed us, and Weiss would have died if Jaune hadn't discovered he has a healing Semblance. So yeah, we weren't exactly _jazzed_ when we got here. Is that a good enough summary?"

"He _what_?" James asked, sounding not quite shocked but deeply stunned in the same way Qrow had felt; disappointed and downcast at the fact that yet another person had turned to the dark. Then, softer- "Are you...all right?"

Qrow hadn't been expecting that question. He didn't think it mattered, if he was all right. He shrugged. "No big deal, trading a sister and more peace of mind for another Relic to horde."

It was his usual method of deflecting questions he wasn't interested in answering. Dry, sarcastic responses. He took a step away, but James' hand wrapping around his elbow stopped him. When he looked back, the General looked uncharacteristically...downcast, maybe? Qrow didn't think gentle was the right word. Or resolved. He didn't like how much James' face had changed. Qrow had used to be able to read him easier. Maybe it was that damned beard.

"You'll be safe here."

"I'm not the one you have to assure," Qrow retorted, and even though he tried to make it sarcastic it came out softer than intended. "Everyone below us is. From what I've heard Mantle isn't doing so hot."

James sighed, a loud sigh that wracked his large frame, and let go of him, brushing a hand over his own hair that smoothed it out whereas Qrow always just made his own more wild. "I've been doing the best I can."

An easy retort sat easy on Qrow's tongue. _Your best isn't good enough._ A few years ago, he probably would have said it, and started an argument, but he felt too tired for it now. James seemed too tired for it. He didn't think their old methods would work now, not that they had "worked" before.

He let out a sigh himself. "Can we get something to drink, and talk somewhere that isn't a hallway?"

* * *

James had looked surprised, the night before, when Qrow had held up a hand and mumbled out that he wasn't drinking anymore when he offered him a shot of whiskey. After a moment of hesitation, the man had put it away altogether, and Qrow appreciated that more than he would say. It was a small thing, but a lot of people wouldn't have even thought of doing it.

They didn't actually get around to talking that night. They sat in silence for a while, on the sofa in James' quarters, and Qrow hadn't really known where to start, because there was so many things he felt like he wanted to talk about. Finally, he'd sighed and asked how it had been since Beacon.

Things were complicated. As usual. Winter had taken to pacing in her free time since Weiss had disappeared off the map, and Penny had a habit of wandering around at night and had started to keep James company when he couldn't sleep because she herself didn't need sleep at all. Though she did actually sleep sometimes, and had come chattering excitedly to him the first time she had a dream.

Qrow listened, and didn't correct his question right away, but eventually did, and asked how _Jim_ had been, not Atlas, but James had just sighed and said "Tired."

He could relate to that.

There was a lot Qrow _didn't_ want to talk about. Well, that was pretty much everything. Still, he muttered out a few things, mostly about his nieces; thanks for the arm Yang was sporting, something about Ruby's stunt with the giant mecha robot, et cetera. He lost track of how long they sat there, but it was almost morning by the time he realized he should probably find somewhere to sleep and got up. James looked pensive, again, when he left him in his quarters.

He actually had no idea where he was supposed to sleep, though, and settled for a tree in some kind of indoor garden as a crow for a few short hours. It wasn't until the next morning they got into the thick of it.

"You _know_ you can't just leave the city hanging and expect everyone to sit tight and be happy," Qrow said, waving one hand as he slowly paced in front of his friend's desk. "People are suffering down there."

"I _know_ , Qrow," James returned, leaning against steepled hands and looking like he was having a migraine as he sat there with his eyes pressed shut. "But this project-"

"Could be put in _more_ jeopardy if the situation down there gets bad enough it draws out a Grimm attack like what happened at Beacon." James' jaw twitched, and Qrow felt almost a little guilty for bringing it up, because they were both still hurting from Beacon. "Jim, I'm not saying you aren't _trying._ I know you want to protect them. But this embargo shit- the fact that everything down there runs so heavily on that bastard Schnee, and we both _know_ if he gets on the council it'll get even worse, he's throwing all of his workers under the bus right now because he can't be spared a dime- _something_ has to be done."

"And what would you suggest, Qrow? I don't have any options-"

The lights overhead flickered. James paused with a frown, glancing up, and Qrow scowled as he stopped at the edge of the desk and leaned against it, tugging at his hair. Goddamned Semblance of his. He was getting frustrated.

"You know better, James. There are always options."

"I cannot afford to let my guard down for even a minute. Salem would find a way in-"

"She's going to _no matter what._ There is no possible way to lock down every inch of these cities so she won't."

James' hand curled into a tight fist around the pen in his hand. It was his metal one, if the way the instrument started to crumble in on itself was any indication. Or maybe it was his flesh hand. Qrow had just pushed a button, he knew, and not a great one.

"If you're saying I'm just being paranoid," he practically spat, dropping the pen before ink started to leak out as he turned in his chair, "you n-"

"You're not being fucking _paranoid_ , Jimmy," Qrow snapped back, pushing off the desk and side-stepping so he blocked the other man in. He folded his arms with a deeper scowl. "Our lives are littered with people who haven't been paranoid _enough_. You think I don't know that you're scared? _I'm_ scared, I'm fucking terrified. For fuck's sake." He looked out the window, ignoring how his voice betrayed a thread of pain he was still ignoring. "My twin sister just tried to kill me a few weeks ago. Do you think I've been sleeping for more than three hours at a time?"

Some of the heat had left James' face. His frown was back, the one that almost edged on concern. "Qrow-"

"I'm not saying try harder, I'm saying try something different. Because _this_ clearly isn't working."

James let out a sigh, rubbing his temples as he turned to lean against his desk again. "If we don't get this tower online, we won't be able to communicate with anyone."

"And if you let Mantle get worse, you won't be able to salvage what's left. What if it does get bad, you think Atlas will be safe either? Think you can just go up higher in the sky and get away from it?"

Qrow knew he'd hit upon something bad because of the way the other man's body stilled. He stared at the surface of his desk, something almost ashamed on his face, and Qrow stood there for a second. "No," he said, trying not to sound as horrified as he felt.

"It- it has...crossed my mind," James admitted, still not looking at him. "If need be, the Staff could-"

"Absolutely not."

"Qrow, we absolutely cannot let a Maiden and two Relics fall into Salem's hand. If we had to-"

"What, take Atlas up so high Salem couldn't reach it? She would _find a way_! Even if she couldn't, what could be worth that? What kind of life would that be, some island full of rich elites safe in the sky while the rest of humanity dies down below?"

"It would give us time, time to-"

" _James,_ " Qrow snapped, moving in closer and slapping his palm to the table. He let the other rest on the man's shoulder, less harsh. "Do you even hear yourself? Do you _honestly_ think this is a good plan?" James' mouth twisted, but he said nothing. "How the fuck do you expect anyone to believe you want to protect them when you have a backup plan to abandon them in your pocket?!"

It seemed to slap just a little bit of reality back into the man under his hand, as his eyes widened a hair and he fell silent as he stared through the fingers of his left hand at the desktop, so still, so quiet, so not like Ironwood. Qrow could see, very easily, just how _tired_ James was, and felt a surge of guilt. Even if he was an asshole at times, Qrow hated seeing his own reflection in any friend's eyes.

"Stop thinking you can do this all alone," he said, voice pained. "You just told us you have your own team that you trust, can't you trust them to help you?"

"It's my responsibility," James said, lowering the hand from his face to the table and looking stricken. "I have to deal with this."

"You're not listening to me, Jimmy. You _aren't_ alone. You can _trust_ them," Qrow said, seizing the lapels of the man's jacket and forcing him to look at him, feeling a sense of desperation to make him understand. "You can trust me."

James' eyes widened. He looked surprised, and his silence continuing in the air made Qrow pause, feeling his own vulnerability showing, and he dropped the jacket, feeling himself curl back into the carefully-constructed walls he'd made. "Jim," he mumbled, rubbing at his eyes as he turned, taking a step away. He just wanted out of this conversation now.

James' hand caught his wrist. "Qrow," the man returned, softer than he usually was. "Please...stay."

Qrow stood there wrestling with a moment's indecision. Slowly, his body relaxed some, and he huffed out a sigh. "Never said thanks, by the way," he muttered.

He could feel James' confusion without even looking at him. "Thanks? For what?"

"At Beacon," Qrow clarified, withholding a wince. "You were trying to help, bringing your ships, going over Oz's head. I know that."

"That was the entire reason Beacon fell. It is _not_ something to thank me for."

"It wasn't your fault." Qrow scowled, turning, and brushed off the man's hand, which was still lingering on his wrist, almost like its owner had forgotten about it. "And I'm not saying thank you for bringing the _ships_. Asshole. I meant- thank you for listening to me. About Salem." God, conversations were more trouble than they were worth. Qrow wished he could opt out.

James stared at him. Qrow got the feeling that was because he didn't know how to respond, not because he was trying to be a dick, and he slowly folded his hands together on his desk. "Well," he said after a moment, "I didn't die."

Qrow let out a chuckle, shaking his head.

"If you need to...talk," he said, awkwardly, waving at his head. "I have ears."

James raised an eyebrow at him. "Do you now? And here I thought for years you didn't."

"Fuck you, Jimmy," Qrow retorted with a snort.

Their banter slid off into nothing, but James reached over to gently drop the mangled pen into a drawer, where there were probably other similarly mangled pens. What other reason would he have for being so subtle about it? "I...thank you. I'd...appreciate it, Qrow."

_"Thank you, Qrow. I...I appreciate this."_

_Swollen flesh, wires going everywhere, unwieldy steel that had to weigh a ton, bandages stained with blood. It wasn't an easy sight._

_"No one should be alone. Not...after that."_

Qrow shook his head. He didn't know why he'd thought of that. He supposed James was still just as bad at communicating after all these years.

He leaned against the desk again, more casually, and folded his arms. The glint of the several pens in a holder on the desk was starting to become attractive in the corner of his eye. All the more evidence that James kept crushing them, he thought, why would he need so many?

"By the way," James said, eyeing his collar, "is that- a leaf in your cape?"

Qrow froze and reached up to feel around. Sure enough, there was a leaf from that tree stuck there. He looked at it with a grimace before tossing it onto the desk. "So?"

James sounded suspicious, like Qrow had gone and done something brash and reckless again. "Where...where did you sleep?"

"A tree," Qrow said with a shrug, like it was no big deal. James reached up to pinch his nose with a groan. "What, James? It was like four o'clock! It was convenient!"

"You should have just reminded me you didn't have a room," James said, looking annoyed. "I'd assumed Penny took care of it-"

"I literally haven't seen her since we left the meeting yesterday."

"I'll take care of it. Promise me you'll sleep in an actual human bed tonight."

"Maybe I'll sleep in a tree out of spite now," Qrow jabbed, making the other man grow more consternated. "You just don't know the fun of being a bird, Jimbo, because you have no stress relief."

James' eyes lingered on him for a second. For a brief moment, there was something murky beneath the surface, a little more heated than just before, but it disappeared.

_"What on earth took you so long to report in?" Glynda asked, clearly irritated, as she tapped her want against her palm. It was a little habit of hers that never went farther than the tapping but somehow made everyone afraid she'd beat the shit out of them with a stick. James was pretty sure, however, that one time she had smacked Ozpin in the head with it._

_Qrow shrugged, giving them all a lackadaisical grin. "I stopped for some stress relief. What, Glyn? You telling me you'd turn down a six foot three tall drink of water after not getting any dick for six months? Oh come on, don't smack me-"_

"I take comfort in the fact that I'll never wake up with feathers and hollow bones," he said, eyes turning to one of his screens. Qrow's attention drifted to the cup of pens, and he slipped one out and into his pocket as quick as could be. A moment later he realized that was probably not the greatest idea, but James was already looking back at him. "And I don't need stress relief."

Qrow smirked. "Yeah, you do," he argued, twirling a pen from the other side of the desk that had been behind one of the monitors that was _also_ bent crooked. For a moment his idea of stress relief flitted through his head, completely by word association, and he looked away before he inadvertently let that smirk turn into something more suggestive.

James saw the heated look in his eyes, though, and tried to deny the thread of tension it sewed in him. He remembered one time when Qrow had brushed past him in a hall at Beacon to get to the elevator- after a session of mostly bickering- when he'd looked at him as he passed with something heated in his gaze. He knew it was a bad train of thought, it always had been, that something in him intrinsically turned towards Qrow, because he'd always been a figure who dropped in and out of life that reported to someone else. Maybe he'd been a bit bitter about that once upon a time. Maybe the fact that Qrow was here now, in the flesh, for the foreseeable future put doubts in his mind he shouldn't entertain.

He let out a slow breath and glanced at his watch. "I do have a meeting to get to," he said, catching the pen tossed at his face without looking. "I'm sorry to cut this short, but...perhaps we can talk afterwards."

"Well, you'll know where to find me. Probably. I think I'm going to spend a day hiding from the kids."

If they'd even gotten out of bed yet. They were probably even more exhausted than Qrow. He slipped a hand into his pocket as he walked out of the room, feeling the pen he'd nicked, and mentally rolled his eyes. James definitely needed a nap or two if he hadn't noticed that blatant thievery.

* * *

Yeah, so, Qrow actually had nothing to do. At all. Certainly not in Atlas halls.

Which was why he ended up wandering around, for literal hours, avoiding any voices he heard and hanging out mostly in the gardens he could find. Eventually, his Scroll dinged, and he pulled up the message from James immediately for once rather than ignoring it for a minimum three hours at first. He'd used to like to play games to annoy the other man. All right, so he got a little hot when he was angry, so what? Qrow had been young and annoying.

For some reason, the door to James' room let him in automatically after scanning him. That was a little creepy, in his opinion. James happened to be on the phone when he strolled in, pinching his nose as usual when he was getting to be greatly irritated.

"No, I'm not- we have nothing to talk about, Jacques. Good night."

Well, it was only five, but Qrow filed that under night when he wanted to stop talking to people too.

James looked irritated when he hung up. Then he noticed Qrow, and looked almost apologetic. "My apologies. I wasn't expecting him to call."

"Stop with the formality, Jimmy-long-bean," Qrow said, poking him. He couldn't resist, really. "He being annoying?"

"You could say that."

Qrow grinned. "More annoying than me?"

James' eyes narrowed, but not in a particularly bad way. "No one could ever do that, Qrow."

Snorting, Qrow strolled over to the kitchen in his quarters and opened his fridge, perusing the contents. He could _feel_ James rolling his eyes. "No, go ahead, don't be shy, Qrow."

"Why thank you. I don't have a fridge myself, Mr. Military Man."

James paused. Then, a tiny bit of embarrassment appeared in his voice. "Shit. I'm sorry, I got caught up in meetings all day-"

Qrow let out a laugh. "I don't care that you forgot about my room, Jim, I can just sleep in the tree again. It really is more comfortable than you'd think. You do know birds are supposed to live in trees, right?"

"Qrow, you aren't sleeping in a _tree_."

"You don't tell me what to do."

"Technically, I do now."

Looking over his shoulder, and letting the cold air out on purpose, Qrow lowered his eyelashes a fraction, unable to resist the temptation of taunting the man. "Still not one of your operatives," he said, in a sing-song voice. "What're you gonna do to me, throw me in jail, Jimmy?"

Crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes, which was his version of giving him an eye-roll, James cast him a dry stare. "I could."

Qrow grinned, a little bit like a shark baring its teeth, for he recognized an empty threat when he saw one. "What _will_ I have to do to convince you to release me?" he teased, making James actually roll his eyes and then turn to walk over to a coat rack hanging by what Qrow remembered to be his bedroom door.

He stripped off his uniform jacket, then the belts and jacket underneath, then the tie around his neck. It left him in that button-up he had on underneath it all, so well-fitted it conformed oh so nicely to his skin, and for a few moments, Qrow's eyes lingered on the muscles of his back and the line where they met with metal.

_Oh, yeah. Fuck._

Those broad shoulders were one reason he'd (stupidly) (irresponsibly) (perhaps) flirted with (or maybe at) James on and off over the years. At times he wasn't quite sure if the man noticed or not, but the occasional heated glances he got back told him they were both aware, even though they didn't mention it. It was a bit like a twenty year long occasional game of chicken neither was invested enough in to take further, in their own way. The first time they'd met when team STRQ had won the Vytal Festival Qrow had needled and bickered with the man the entire time their teams went for an after party together.

He quickly turned and leaned into the coolness of the fridge to quell the heat rising to his face. _My life has really been one long series of bad decisions, hasn't it?_

"Are you hungry?"

"Fuck!" he shrilled, jumping a mile out of his skin and slamming the fridge door shut. Turning, he found James standing a normal distance away from him, one eyebrow raised, and flushed. "Uh, no. I'm not."

A small smile appeared on James' face. He still had his gloves on. He never tended to show his prosthetic side much. "You getting rusty, Qrow?" he asked, and Qrow cursed the fact he had no retort. "Anyway, you can stay here for tonight. It's my fault you haven't a room yet."

 _That's fine,_ Qrow was about to say, he could sleep in his tree, but something ornery made him just shrug instead. He backed up to the other side of the kitchen and swung himself up to sit on the counter as James went about finding a bottle of water.

 _Don't say anything,_ his brain directed, and his mouth went, "Thanks."

"You're welcome to the bed-"

"Sofa's fine," Qrow said quickly, building a mental fence in front of that thought. "I just need a blanket. Or...three."

James rolled his eyes at him. He withdrew a bottle from the refrigerator and unscrewed the cap. "Kind of weird feeling, though, I don't know if we've ever even slept in the same building. Or been in the same building for more than a day at a time," Qrow's mouth continued, while his brain told it to shut up. It elected to leave out the time he'd stayed with James in the hospital. Neither of them talked about that time.

"If you prefer somewhere else-"

"I didn't say it was _bad_ ," Qrow blurted out, then inadvertently flushed again when James raised an eyebrow at him. "Whatever," he sighed, leaning back against the cabinets and pinching his nose. He noticed too late. Great, now he was even mimicking James.

"I _have_ offered to let you stay in Atlas before," James pointed out, sounding like he found Qrow's fumbling funny.

"Atlas has never been my style. I liked wandering." Qrow waved a hand dismissively as he explained. "Only place I ever hung around was Beacon if Oz wanted details about something."

Maybe it was because he couldn't stop staring at James in that shirt out of the corner of his eye that he noticed the man tense, ever so slightly. _Interesting._ "I'm well aware."

Qrow grinned teasingly. "Jealous of those who've had the pleasure of my company?" he probed, in what he thought was a rhetorical question.

Instead of shooting back something just as deflective, James looked up at him with veiled eyes, a small frown on his face. "What if I were?"

Qrow froze. A break in the routine was something he couldn't react to very quickly. "Uh."

"Our relationship may have been strained at times, Qrow, but I do enjoy having you around. Perhaps I would have liked to have you around more," James continued, looking him right in the eye, and Qrow lost when he looked away, eyes darting to the floor. The straight honesty was...disarming. Unsettling. Something.

He found himself rubbing at his neck. "But you're right," James continued, clearing his throat when it was clear Qrow had nothing to say. "It will be different having you with me...all the time."

He'd almost trailed off, seeming to realize what he'd just said, and Qrow felt the rushing in his ears get louder. That was...an irresponsible phrasing, much too close to _It will be different being able to have you._

James had drifted closer at some point, and it wasn't a gigantic kitchen, but Qrow still hadn't quite noticed, and he looked up and into the face of the friend he hadn't seen in months and had possibly teased constantly over the years and was just as emotionally banged up as he was. He could feel another irresponsible decision incoming.

James paused, sucking in a breath, and averted his eyes from him. "I-"

"James-"

"...shouldn't," James murmured, neither of them having said what he should or shouldn't do but it slipping out anyway. Qrow found himself inhaling and exhaling with careful, purposeful routine to make sure he breathed at all.

"Why not?" escaped his mouth.

"I have duties," James said, and of course that was why, and they were still at a point in the conversation they could look away and pretend they were talking about something else, and he was still staring at a cabinet off to Qrow's left, "I have- obligations-"

Then Qrow's hand snaked out, of its own volition, and it felt like a freight train was running him down because _no turning back from this one_ , and he'd seized the general's collar. He didn't try to pull, knowing how much James weighed; he was like a goddamned tank, trying to move him.

"Sounds like you're being a little cowardly, Jimmy," he whispered, a taunt in his voice, making James' eyes go wide. "Big bad general can't step up to the plate?"

"Qrow," James said back, lowly, with a warning in his voice.

"What, you aren't interested in a little stress relief?"

James' breath hitched, and he lurched closer, losing that tenuous grip on self control, as his hands snapped to Qrow's sides and yanked. He stopped a hair's breath from his face, eyes on his lips, his breath coming heavier. "Qrow-"

Qrow breathed out a question he severely hoped he knew the answer to. "What do you want, James?"

The general's eyes met his, that sense of calculation and pensiveness in them again. "A little more than stress relief," he said, voice having dropped to a level that sent tingles down Qrow's spine. "You."

"Fine, then," was all Qrow said, before he tangled both hands in his hair and yanked his head down.

He crushed their mouths together, immediately letting his tongue slither out to find James', and something clicked in his head.

_Fuck._

_I should have done this years ago._

He didn't know if it was too early, or they were both just extremely lonely and desperate, and he very much doubted the day after he got there was the right time for this, but he couldn't find the energy to give a shit. 

James surged forward, pressing him into the cabinets, his tongue having fought its way into Qrow's mouth and his hands drifting to his knees. He pulled Qrow up with so little effort it sent a thrill down his spine. He pulled away, just enough to breathe, and opened his eyes. "You're sleeping in my room tonight."

"Yes, _sir_ ," Qrow breathed into his ear, a true smirk crawling onto his face, only widening when he felt the man shudder. "I'll need something to keep me warm tonight." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> qrow after months of stressful babysitting/almost dying meeting the oak tree he sometimes flirted with: time to have no self control


	2. Gap

It was a rare thing for Qrow to wake up early.

However, he did this morning, and it was to a sensation he hadn't felt in years- an arm strung over his side, as someone held onto him from behind. Except this time, it was made of steel and who knew what else, though it still emanated warmth. He felt...refreshed, somehow, because even if they hadn't gotten much sleep, technically, as soon as they were done he'd gone out like a light. It was rare for him to sleep so well.

He lifted himself and scooted up, sitting up with his back against the headboard- and ignoring the few dents James had put in it- stifling a yawn. Almost immediately, the general's eyes fluttered open, and he took a moment to survey his surroundings before he slowly started to sit up.

"Qrow?"

"That's my name," Qrow quipped, stretching out a kink in his neck.

"I know," James replied, staring at him with an almost unnervingly blank look. "I...almost thought that was a dream."

"My partners often think the night before was just a nightmare," Qrow noted dryly, moving to the edge of the mattress and setting his feet on the floor. With more room, he stretched his arms and shoulders, taking in a deep sigh. "So, you weren't exactly clear last night."

"Clear? About-"

Qrow looked over his shoulder and cocked an eyebrow. "What you want," he clarified, making James stare at him again. "I mean, 'you' was a pretty hot response, but it doesn't exactly explain where you want to...go from here," he continued, waving his hand. "But if you want, I can just-"

He made to scoot off the bed, but the other man's arm shot out and wrapped around his wrist, halting him. "Wait," James exclaimed, then paused, embarrassed at how quick his response had been. "I mean...I..."

Qrow paused, and turned his body to face him. He could see indecision on his friend's face, but also a bit of old earnestness. It was something that had always drawn him to the general, even if he argued with him half the time; that genuine desire deep down to protect people.

"I _do_...want more," James explained, looking like he was about to trip over his tongue any second. "I've always...found you attractive, Qrow." _Yeah, I hadn't noticed._ "And you are my friend, better or worse. Over the years, the thought had come into my mind to...turn it into more than friendship. But..."

"Yeah, I get it," Qrow groused, sighing. He looked away, to the doorway of the bathroom, where they'd dropped the bath towels after washing off with little care. "What about now? Do you want that now?"

"Yes," James replied, sounding stronger. "I- I don't know what that will look like, or if this is a selfish thing to do, but-"

Qrow couldn't help but give him a teasing grin. He was too easy to make fun of. "What, then, candlelit dinners, walks on the beach, cuddling on the couch?"

Instead of sighing and pinching his nose, however, James just gave him an unbothered stare. Oh goddammit. "If those were things you wanted, then fine," he said, making Qrow falter. "In fact, no candles, but I think I could swing dinner tonight."

Qrow's stomach flipped. It was easy to sluff things off with humor, even a night like they'd just had. It would've been easy to say to forget about it, too. He let out a harsh breath.

"All right," he said, wondering if this was an even worse decision he was making. "But you have to- to promise me."

"Anything within reason."

Qrow felt his own jaw tighten. His eyes lowered to the metal part of James' chest, leading all the way down his torso. "I can't- I can't lose anyone else, Jim."

A beat of silence passed. James spoke quietly, sounding only a little bit confused, "Qrow, I can't promise I won't die in this-"

"Not. Not like that."

The silence wore on. After several moments, Qrow felt a warm hand touch his jaw to lift it up. "All right then," James told him, uncharacteristically soft. "I promise."

It could've been a lie, or something he'd go back on later, or a bluff, but Qrow let himself believe it enough.

He looked into James' eyes. It was one of those romantic moments, he thought, the kind Summer would have told him about, where it felt like nothing else existed but them. This would probably be a moment where they kissed. They were leaning in close enough.

"Well," he uttered, a laugh in his voice, "I need to go get those gear upgrades for the mission today."

James paused, sucking in a breath, and then he let it out in an annoyed huff. "Bastard-"

Qrow snaked a hand in to hold his neck and pulled him closer, pressing their lips together. The other man stiffened out of surprise, then softened, reaching up to hold the back of his head. His beard was a funny contender to deal with, prickly and soft at the same time, but it felt...right.

Qrow pulled away and grinned. "Really do have to go get the gear, though," he said, and swung himself out of bed. "Also, I think your Scroll's been going off for five minutes. You're probably late to something."

He grabbed his clothes from where they'd been scattered on the floor and ran, ignoring James' irritated cry of "Qrow!" as he did, and snickered to himself as he fled into the hallway.

* * *

James was pretty stiff when he'd handed out their gear and then their mission. Qrow had noticed the design on his clothing was suspiciously similar to the one on James' guns, and had practically sent him bedroom eyes the whole time, eyelashes lowered, just to tease him and make him clam up even more while no one else even noticed. Still, there was one thing bothering him.

"Jim tell you to try to be my friend or something else cheesy, buddy?"

Clover looked at him with a sheepish smile. "And here I thought I was being subtle," he joked, though it just got a drier look from Qrow. He held up his hands. "Those weren't his exact words, no, but he did ask me to keep an eye out for you. It's not every day a personal friend of the General is out on missions, after all."

Qrow was inclined to roll his eyes, but he couldn't help but smirk to himself a little. "Right. 'Friend.'" Because those claw marks on James' back were definitely from a 'friend.' Clover raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't question him. "What else did he tell you?"

"Not much that couldn't be found out by anybody. He did say you have a propensity for brashness, however."

That time Qrow did roll his eyes.

"I'll show him what brashness means later. For now, why don't you take point, shitty pokerface."

"Oh, so that's my nickname now? You know, my partner goes for nicer things, like happy go lucky."

"How about sir boring instead?"

"Ouch. I'll be sure to suggest that to him later."

* * *

Qrow had another mission that no one but himself (and James, obviously) knew about, that had taken quite a lot of needling to get. James had been dead set against it, but after half an hour of Qrow bothering him (and maybe some persuasion that involved Qrow climbing brazenly into his lap in that office chair and getting an "Ugh, fine-" out of him after ten minutes of said persuasion that technically counted as permission) he'd given the green light. Yeah, the pen count in Qrow's pockets was up to six now.

"So, that's the gist of it," he said, green aura glowing around his hand as Robyn stared incredulously at him from across the table in what he guessed was one of her hideouts. It had been easy enough, spending a few hours looking for them and then hitching a ride on their truck. "You in?"

Robyn continued staring at him.

She stared some more.

Behind her, the other members of her 'Happy Huntresses' shot each other wary glances.

"Well," she finally said, "guess there's no way to say no, is there?"

* * *

"You told her-" James was pinching his nose, which may be a good sign or a bad sign, "- _everything_?"

"Yup," Qrow said, strolling closer to the desk with his hands in his pockets. "What? I got a success!"

"You were just supposed to do recon! Get a handle for how she might-"

"I _am_ standing right here," Robyn drawled, arms folded, completely ignoring the tense Ace Operatives standing behind her near the door. It was like they were watching a circus spectacle, or maybe a train crash, or a combination of the two. "I can retract my offer of help, if you want."

"I- no. I just-" James twitched when Qrow swung himself up to sit on his desk, immediately starting to fiddle with a pen. Marrow leaned all the way out from behind Elm to stare at the Huntsman, goggle-eyed. "I don't know what I expected."

"You know my reputation, Jimmy," Qrow said, ignoring Elm's muttered _Jimmy?_ "Honestly, if you wanted professionalism you should've sent someone else."

James rubbed a hand over his face. "That has been made very clear to me."

A grin grew on Qrow's face. "Do I need to make it clearer?"

" _No,_ " James said adamantly, though, judging by the look in his eyes when his gaze raked over Qrow, that was a solid _yes_ for later. He looked away from him and sighed. "It's...good to have you onboard, Ms. Hill. I know that relations between Mantle and Atlas have been...tense, but perhaps, with your help, we can alleviate the stress on our citizens."

"I certainly hope so. Your bird bet a lot on it."

James turned again to give Qrow a glowering look. "You took the time to play poker down there?"

Qrow shrugged at him. "We got bored."

A sigh wracked the larger man's form. Whistling, Qrow rocked himself off the desk and leaned over, poking him in the side of his forehead with the pen in his hand, clicking it out. "Here you go, I'm sure there's so much paperwork awaiting you. Why don't I show Robyn around while you look over her suggestions for things _not_ shitty you could do?"

James' eyebrow twitched at him, and yes, it was _at_ him, Qrow could tell, and he put his hands into his pockets to feel the now seven pens he'd stolen as he swanned past everyone else with Robyn on his tail. There was a variety of expressions, all involving some degree of disbelief, on the operatives' faces, but Qrow was more interested in how excited his nieces would probably be to meet the infamous, underdog (and openly lesbian) Huntress who fought for the people and regularly gave the metaphorical middle finger to Jacques Schnee. Yeah, that was way more interesting.

He didn't see James until he swung around the man's quarters for dinner, which they didn't actually get around to, because as soon as he stepped inside he was hauled off the ground and onto James' hips and in for a night somehow more passionate than the previous one, but he counted the day as a victory since James let out a deep sigh as they laid in bed afterward and mumbled out- "She had some good suggestions."

"Told you," Qrow replied, amused, and rolled over to huddle into the warmth radiating from the man's prosthetic side. His own personal heater? He could get used to that.


End file.
